UF Board of Trustees approves plan for $130 million

[Thick&ThinG8r]

While I agree the money needs to be spent on football.You guys are as out of touch as Foley. The money needs to be spent ON THE PLAYERS. Not sky boxes, not champions clubs or oversized trophy cases Meyers face of the program the Heavner. The new academic center is nice but most players won't appreciate it until they are in their thirties. We haven't spent a dollar on the players since the 90's. What we need are ideas to make this happen faster, like the baseball team playing the entire next year on the road or playing at Sante Fe and that's coming from someone who's going to today's game.

 

[78]

While agree the money needs to be spent on football you guys are as out of touch as Foley. The money needs to be spent ON THE PLAYERS. Not sky boxes, not champions clubs or oversized trophy cases Meyers face of the program the Heavner. The new academic center is nice but most players won't appreciate it until they are in their thirties. We haven't spent a dollar on the players since the 90's. What we need are ideas to make this happen faster like the baseball team playing the entire next year on the road or playing at Sante Fe and that's coming from someone who's going to today's game.

We need both. The Swamp is a glossed over dump. I've been saying that for years.

 

[MADGator]

How is it short-sighted? Baseball will never recoup the cost of the new stadium. Sure, go ahead and build them a new place to play so we can finally start to catch up on football facilities, but a $50 million stadium? It's unnecessary and a complete waste of money. The project should be half that at the most. The only thing baseball really needs is a nice field to play on and some metal bleachers for the handful of fans that show up. I bet you could do that for less than $25 million and even provide shade for the bleachers. Let's not forget that the new football facility barely catches us up to where most other programs are now. We're still behind in this arms race and blowing $50 million on a non-revenue generating sport while the cash cow is in great need of a resource influx is the wrong move here.

Everything given in your response aside from baseball getting a new facility it doesn't deserve, seeing how it's an annual resource drain, could be accomplished for a lot less money. It's ridiculous to throw good money after bad when the one thing generating you money has been neglected as long as it has. I wonder how much sooner they could break ground on the new football facility if they weren't building a state-of-the-art stadium for a sport few people care about unless they're winning a championship?

Obviously we're on opposite sides of the fence here and we won't change each other's mind, and that's okay, but , this takes up too much of my time, though I'll look forward to your response. Yes, short sighted, because as mentioned, the University of Florida has one of the top five sports programs, not football program, but sports programs in the country and the university is intent on keeping it there. Is $50 million a lot of money? Absolutely, but with the vision that Stricklin has in mind that seems to be the going rate on ballparks. They can't just build a glorified high school stadium and think they'll still be relevant in years to come. $25 million will not get it done. Heck they were talking $30 million just to renovate the Mac. $25 mil is what minor league stadiums cost 25 years ago and that's basically what we're getting. But I will say he is definitely going all in on it and that's fantastic. And no, I agree the baseball team will never recoup the expense for this project, and neither will softball, and neither will any of the other non-revenue sports that have ever received improvements. But that isn't the point. The point is that those are all championship teams deserving championship-quality facilities to keep the UF brand at the top. We can't just let them languish on the vine like what Fooley did with our beloved football team. This will be one of the best ballparks for a long time. The SEC is no longer just a football conference and we have to keep up; basically the opposite of Fooley. And on the field football has done nothing to warrant new facilities but we all know it's a necessity that they have them to help get back to the top. So spend the money! Let's get them there! I agree that $50 million is a lot of money for a new ballpark but these projects will give football exactly what they need and it is going to be an amazing, integrated layout. With a $65 million investment, and spending $500 per square foot, I seriously doubt they are leaving anything out of the football facility. Two years ago Clemson "only" spent $55 million on a state of the art football facility that people were going absolutely orgasmic over. This is a win-win situation for the school, sports, and fans. I think Stricklin's plans for the future of Gator athletics are right on the money.

 

[Thick&ThinG8r]

We need both. The Swamp is a glossed over dump. I've been saying that for years.

I go to every game and they are better attended than what you will read here.
If we had a watchable team there wouldn't be a seat in the stadium despite its condition. Our problem is not the fans abandoning us, the problem is the top players have abandoned us. Chairbacks are the least of our problems.

 

[78]

I'm not disagreeing one iota. I just feel the Florida Field old timey experience has run its course.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

the University of Florida has one of the top five sports programs, not football program, but sports programs in the country and the university is intent on keeping it there.

BULLSHYT

 

[78]

.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

The temp in the room hasnt changed, fvkk football. It has always been the same. Fooley hated SOS bc all the other coaches kissed his ass but SOS knew he owned the building and made all the money. We wont pay "the going rate" for SEC coaches yet pay the largest contracts ever for nonrevenue sports. We need a practice facility, so they the hold that money hostage to other things. We need a football facility, and just like the IPF, it will be a Kia while we build a Mercedes for the baseball team and their 35-50 fans.

It is like all those city councils who, when facing a tight budget, decide to keep all their relatives in city hall a d claim they will shut down your fire trucks, unless you pass the annual or semianual tax increase.

The fact is baseball loses 1 mil a year already.

Football makes 100-130 million.

You fix football right damn now a d fvkk the other sports til it is done. I dont give a damn if baseball plays at GHS. It isnt like they need the extra bleacher space.

 

[78]

Law, we coulda had the football plex in a NY minute and nixed a new baseball stadium if the football people hadn't decided against a multi-story structure.

 

[78]

I blame the elevators. Can't trust 'em.

 

[rogdochar]

To provide a team that creates fanatics (fans spectating) in baseball, surest way is to have a power hitting team. That means several heavy-hitting HR hitters. Spray hitting singles & doubles are good, but not enough to create the fanbuzz. Home fans are fine with our pitcher shutting down the opponent but never with a pitching duel of low runs.

So recruiting needs to take into account BA & HRs. UF seems to be concentrating heavier on great pitchers. Yes, it won us a CWS but without the buzz that assured power hitting would generate. Need to get with the School of Marketing to establish avenues to expand interest i.e. organize viewing gatherings for away games via cheaper refreshments, etc. Part of the Marketeers class assignment would be to attend and talk up the fun to classmate-friends, other sport athletes, etc., etc. Just wishful thinking but it's valid.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Law, we coulda had the football plex in a NY minute and nixed a new baseball stadium if the football people hadn't decided against a multi-story structure.

Yeah squeezed on 40 feet of grass. It looked like a three story double wide trailer trailer, with half the staff still soread across campus.

Exactly the kind of garbage I expected from Fooley.

 

[78]

Yeah squeezed on 40 feet of grass.

Looked like a double wide trailer.

Exactly the kind of grabage i i expect from Fooley.

And ...

 

[MADGator]

BULLSHYT

You'll notice I excluded the football program. Hopefully better days are ahead; not sure how they can't be.

 

[Blacklabgator]

Eh. I’m still looking at it pragmatically. To get football what it needs, baseball has to get moved out. Long term it’s the best solution. We aren’t going to catch up to the best programs on the field nor off for a few years. Might as well do it right.

 

[78]

Eh. I’m still looking at it pragmatically. To get football what it needs, baseball has to get moved out. Long term it’s the best solution. We aren’t going to catch up to the best programs on the field nor off for a few years. Might as well do it right.

Exactly. And you knew the baseball team wasn't going to get a T-ball diamond after winning a CWS and then being asked to get out by those hoity toity football people who are afraid to climb stairs.

Now please go and explain this all to Law before his head explodes.

 

[oxrageous]

I have no problem at all with UF upgrading every damn thing, even Tiddlywinks. The money really isn't an issue at all to the school and we all know it. The issue is that football should be upgraded FIRST, I don't see how there could be an argument about that. Putting it behind baseball is asinine.

 

[Blacklabgator]

I have no problem at all with UF upgrading every damn thing, even Tiddlywinks. The money really isn't an issue at all to the school and we all know it. The issue is that football should be upgraded FIRST, I don't see how there could be an argument about that. Putting it behind baseball is asinine.

You have to to do it right. Football can’t be done first to get what is needed. There’s just no way other than doing away with track. And since that’s never been up for discussion I am assuming that Tigert Hall ain’t gonna let that happen for some reason. Yes. It should have been done years ago. But, you have to get baseball out of the way.
Again. If we stuck the stand alone in that tiny spot they were going to half this board would be complaining about the size of ours compared to everyone else.

 

[MJMGator]

You have to to do it right. Football can’t be done first to get what is needed. There’s just no way other than doing away with track. And since that’s never been up for discussion I am assuming that Tigert Hall ain’t gonna let that happen for some reason. Yes. It should have been done years ago. But, you have to get baseball out of the way.
Again. If we stuck the stand alone in that tiny spot they were going to half this board would be complaining about the size of ours compared to everyone else.

Didn’t I hear that the UAA had to buy some citrus trees/land from the University to build the baseball stadium?

 

[Blacklabgator]

Didn’t I hear that the UAA had to buy some citrus trees/land from the University to build the baseball stadium?

Yes. They had to buy that land from IFAS. We are still a land grant university. IFAS then has to go buy some land somewhere off campus. Which is what they’ve been doing for years. All of the land that softball, soccer, lacrosse is sitting on was IFAS land